Noted rabbi looks to the future of Judaism

About a hundred Penn students got a taste last night of why Talk magazine called Rabbi Joseph Telushkin one of the 50 best speakers in the U.S. In a speech entitled "The 21st Century: A Jewish Vision, One Day at a Time," Telushkin -- a world-renowned author, educator and speaker -- addressed a crowd at Irvine Auditorium last night in an event sponsored by the Jewish Renaissance Project. "We try to bring in a Jewish speaker to appeal to as broad an audience as possible," explained Ari Alexander, a College junior and fellow of the JRP. He added that JRP's intended message is that "Judaism is for everyone." Telushkin was introduced by College junior and JRP fellow Elizabeth Silver. "Telushkin: It's synonymous with encyclopedic knowledge of Jewish texts," she said. After expressing his gratitude for the complement, Telushkin began his talk on the direction of Judaism in the coming century. While in the 20th century, Jews dealt with macro issues, such as the Holocaust and the creation of the state of Israel, Telushkin described a shift in focus to micro issues -- a challenge to individuals. He sees the question for Jews going from "How do we survive?" to "Why should we survive?" The rabbi pointed out that many great Jewish scholars defined their religion in ethical terms and he stressed the importance of reclaiming those values. He then offered several examples of how to apply ethics to one's daily life. Telushkin was particularly passionate about his advice on gratitude. "Gratitude is the prerequisite trait for being a happy person," he said. He then asked a few audience members to stand and tell the group one good thing that happened today. "This is not a terribly naive way to look at life," he said of appreciating the good things one has. "This is how you look at life!" Telushkin's closing words urged the audience to follow his ethical examples. "Those who practice these things will affect others, and in the 21st century [Jews] are not gonna survive; we're gonna really flourish." The reactions to Telushkin's talk were very warm. College junior and JRP fellow Scott Perlo was impressed by the accessibility of his ideas. "His scholarship is unquestioned, and his soul is in the right place," Perlo said. "He's about as good as they get." The event was co-sponsored by Connaissance and by the Hillel Education Committee.